The account of the healing of a blind man is also a call narrative, for the man interprets Jesus’ words in this way. When he hears that it is Jesus of Nazareth who is passing by him, he identifies Jesus as a descendant of David and the long-awaited one who would fulfil religious and political expectations. When Jesus called for him, he threw his cloak aside, leaving behind the alms he had already collected as well as his life of begging. The man who was blind had eyes of faith and he acted on this faith, publicly proclaiming it. As a consequence of his profession, Jesus tells him that it is this faith that gave him his sight. In his eagerness to respond to Jesus’ call, he had already left everything. Having been cured, he now follows Jesus.
The gospel is filled with misunderstandings, paradoxes and reversals. James and John seek places of prominence in Jesus’ kingdom and Jesus informs them that real prominence is found in service, not in wielding authority over others. The willingness of the sons of Zebedee to accept the cup that Jesus will eventually drink and to be baptised in his baptism is another example of their misunderstanding. They could hardly have imagined the implications of their words. Jesus never denies that he would be prominent in the reign of God. However, whenever he discussed either the reign itself or the role that he will play in it, he always indicated that it was God’s reign and that he had been appointed by God to do God’s work.
The initial exchange between Jesus and the rich man raises the question: Can one gain eternal life, or is it a gift from God? This is an honest and upright man, one who has been observant from his youth, but who realises that there is still something missing in his life. Even the righteous find it difficult to respond to the radical demands of discipleship. Nowhere does Jesus say that wealth is bad. In fact, riches were considered an indication of divine favour and a reward for piety. Jesus is claiming that they can be a diversion from the real goal of life, a hindrance to entrance into the reign of God. Jesus admits that this is a hard saying.
The Pharisees were not asking about the acceptability of divorce; it was permitted by law. Jesus responds to their challenge with one of his own. Without undermining the authority of Moses, he goes beyond the Mosaic tradition to the original intent of God as found in the creation account. In God’s design the couple become one flesh and must not be separated. Later Jesus explains his challenge of the patriarchal understanding of divorce and remarriage. Jesus then makes children the symbol and model of those who would receive and enter the reign of God. The reign of God must be accepted as children might accept a gift. Furthermore, it must also be entered with the un-self-consciousness of children.
The gospel is a collection of pronouncements of Jesus on the topics of acceptance, hospitality and scandal. Like Joshua in the first reading, John challenges someone who is not a member of the close knit group of disciples, but who presumes to perform the marvels that they have been commissioned to perform. Jesus responds that this man is not an enemy, nor do his exorcisms undermine Jesus’ ministry. Jesus continues to justify works of mercy performed in his name. They are commendable and will be highly rewarded regardless of how insignificant they may appear to be. Jesus then warns against giving scandal. Those who cause Christians to sin will be severely punished.
Away from the crowds, Jesus identifies himself as the mysterious Son of Man and predicts his passion, death and resurrection. The disciples did not grasp the meaning of Jesus’ words, and they engaged in a heated discussion about status within the community. Jesus had just admitted his ultimate vulnerability, and they were quarrelling about rank. Jesus seized the moment to teach an important lesson: following his own example, those who would be first must be willing to be last. In the world of Jesus’ time, neither servants nor children had any legal rights or social status. Jesus turns the social ranking system upside down. Those who hold the highest positions within the community must be willing to take the lowest place and be the servants of all. He offers himself as an example of one who empties himself for the sake of others.
In this week’s gospel, Jesus asks what people are saying about him. Some believe he is John the Baptist; others that he is Elijah; still others that he is one of the other prophets – all religious figures who have already died. Speaking in the name of the others, Peter proclaims that he is the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one of God. Hearing this, Jesus elaborates on the character of his Messiahship. He will be a messiah like the Son of Man, the enigmatic figure who will come on the clouds at the end of this age. To this he adds that he will suffer and die, an aspect not part of the ancient messianic traditions. Peter’s rebuke exemplifies this. Jesus persists, adding that his followers will also suffer. This is indeed a hard saying.
Though Jesus is depicted as a miracle worker like others, each detail in the account points to a feature exclusive to Jesus. When he lays hands on people, he is also overturning the purity prohibition against touching what is unclean and contaminating oneself in doing so. His use of saliva reflects the belief that it contained some of his own personal power. He looks up to heaven and groans, but it is considered by many to be a form of prayer. The healing may have been surrounded by familiar miracle elements, but the miracle itself is accomplished by Jesus’ command: Be opened! At the heart of Jesus’ ministry is his teaching about the reign of God. Here he unstops the man’s ears so that now he can hear and be open to the message of this reign.
The gospel reading recounts an incident of conflict over ritual cleansing between Jesus and some of his opponents. Hand washing probably originated as a regulation observed by the priests when they were offering sacrifice. General hand washing was not mandated by the law itself, but was a custom included in the oral law, ‘the tradition of the elders’. This public criticism was an attempt to shame Jesus so that he would be minimised before others and, having lost his reputation, would cease being a threat to those who opposed him. Jesus’ rebuttal is swift and incisive. He explicitly draws a comparison between those whom Isaiah condemns and the scribes and Pharisees who condemn the disciples. Uncleanness or impurity are not determined by anything external. Defilement originates from the innermost recesses of the heart.
In today’s gospel, Jesus’ words or deeds are met with disbelief by some of his own disciples. They were scandalised by what he said. Rather than soften the hardness of his message, Jesus responds to their challenge with one of his own. If they were troubled by the thought of him descending from heaven, what would they think about him ascending back to where he had been originally? Jesus further insists that the flesh (the human way of living) cannot give life, which the spirit can. Faith in Jesus does not come easily or naturally. It is a grace given by God. While some of Jesus’ followers have turned away, others have been convinced of the trustworthiness of his claims.